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nWhen Kant led his team out of the official residence and headed towards the city gate, many spies who had been waiting outside the official residence immediately left in the shadows.

nThe five hooded men who were already targeting Kant when they arrived at the Stone Pass were among them.

nHowever, they were not the only ones who were watching.

nA few civilians in tattered clothes who were walking among the pedestrians outside the official residence also left in a hurry with their heads lowered.

nNothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

nHowever, in reality, something was lurking in the dark in this small Stone Pass.

nIn a basement.

nThe five skinny men with hoods were reporting their findings.

nThe man sitting on the chair nodded and said in a lazy tone, “So, you don’t know what Baron Kant and Baron Dylan were talking about? ”

n“I’m sorry, Lord. There’s nothing we can do. ”

nThe leader among the five skinny men looked ashamed.

n“No, there’s no need to apologize.” The leader sitting on the chair shook his head slightly, “The five of you did a good job. After all, Baron Dylan, that country bumpkin, values his mansion very much. It’s impossible to get a few spies in his mansion. ”

nThe flame of the candle on the table flickered, and light appeared in the room.

nSilence fell upon the basement.

nThe leader of the spies sat on the chair and pondered for a moment. He made up his mind, “Wait for me here. ”

n“Yes, sir.” The spies replied.

nHe pushed himself up from the chair with both hands. He grabbed the crutches beside him and limped toward a wooden door on the side. Obviously, he was a cripple.

nHowever, the five spies did not dare to show their disdain and continued to wait respectfully.

nThe leader of the spies slowly pushed the wooden door open.

nAnother basement was on the other side of the door.

nThere were cabinets, tables, and chairs, as well as a few other wooden doors. It was like an underground maze.

nThe leader of the spies was already familiar with the route.

nHe took out a box which had the size of a human head from a hidden compartment of the cabinet. After opening it, a huge crystal ball that was beaming with a faint blue light could be seen in the box. He moved his hands around the ball, and it gradually emitted layers of light.

nA low voice could be heard in the room.

nThe voice sounded like it was talking to the crystal ball.

nAfter a moment, the light around the ball faded, and the room was again filled with silence.

nThe spy leader put the chest back into its original place and returned to the room where he was before. He limped to the chair and sat down, he then said faintly, “Bring Miss Jacqueline along with you guys. In the desolate desert, a young hero will lend a helping hand to a beautiful lady who is being bullied. ”

n“Yes, Lord.” The five spies nodded.

n“Go do your job.” The leader of the spies waved his hand, telling the spies to leave.

nIn the empty room, a hint of mockery decorated the corner of his mouth.

nThese young noblemen who just gained their power were willing to show off their strength and pride, like the heroes from the classic scenes in novels. The hero saving the damsel in distress, simple and effective.

n***

nIn the slum area of the Stone Pass.

nDirty sewage flowed wantonly on the street, and a faint pungent smell came from the huts on both sides of the street.

nThe pedestrians were in ragged clothes.

nThey were bankrupts and poor people who lived here. Their eyes looked cold and lifeless.

nEven if they were alive, they were barely living.

nHowever, deep in the slum area, more than 40 skinny men gathered in a slightly larger house made of wood. All of them looked respectfully at the four burly men sitting on the chairs in front of them.

nIf Kant and the others were here, they would recognize these four burly men.

nKant had met them in the Lord’s Hall last night at dinner and this morning at breakfast.

nAlthough they did not speak, he could still vaguely recognize them based on their faces.

nThese four guys were Baron Dylan’s vassal knights!

nThey were also the four knights who looked at the Sarrandian Horsemen greedily in the Lord’s Hall. They left a deep impression on Kant, who was actually very vigilant. He couldn’t forget them in a short period.

nKant predicted, at that time, that he might run into trouble.

nAnd now, his prediction turned out to be true.

n“After this job, we can get out of this damn Stone Pass.”

nThe leader of the vassal knights opened his mouth and said with a gloomy expression on his face, “I know that Viscount Wayne, who is the commander of the North County, is very dissatisfied with Baron Dylan. If we join him, we might have a chance to obtain our own knight’s territory. ”

nAnother person also said, “That’s right. Viscount Wayne will definitely give us the villages near the Stone Pass as our knight fief, unlike that darn Dylan, who did not once mention awarding knight fiefs even after five years we’ve been stationed here!”

nSpeaking of this, all four of them had a sullen expression on their faces.

nThey had been stationed at the Stone Pass for about five years. Although they were recruited as vassal knights, they were not given their own fief.

nWithout a fief, they were not truly recognized as a knight. They had to rely on Baron Dylan completely and followed his commands. It was just like a nomad knight who could be hired with money.

nA knight who had a knight’s fief and a knight who did not have a fief had absolutely different statuses!

nThe former was the real reserve force of a noble.

nThe latter was just a mercenary who had superb military strength.

nTherefore, the four of them had long been dissatisfied with Baron Dylan. They were no longer willing to stay in this barren Stone Pass. They wanted to join Viscount Wayne’s gang and become real knights by causing discord between the two, they would obtain their own knight’s territory and their own fief.

n“Now that we have so many people, let’s do it!”

nFinally, the four vassal knights made up their minds. They looked at the 40 skinny men in front of them. They all looked hungry, but as long as they were armed, they would still be powerful enough.

nThey acted on what they said. They were not some kind souls, to begin with.

nBefore becoming vassal knights, they had killed many people on the battlefield and even robbed trade caravan for money.

nEven after they came to the Stone Pass, they would still occasionally take up their old jobs.

nSometimes, bandit groups appeared in various places and disappeared mysteriously after robbing. They were the vassal knights who were short on cash. The lords knew about it but they chose to turn a blind eye.

nWell, their own trade caravan was not robbed. If they interfered too much, they would only get the reputation of being stingy.

nThis was also the main reason why commerce in the Dukedom of Leo was not developed.

nEven on the Resniston River, there were occasionally river bandits in disguise. If it wasn’t for the river patrol team set up by the City of Lion’s Heart, the economy of the Dukedom of Leo would probably be even worse.

nThe bandits had created a really serious problem in the Dukedom of Leo.

nOf course, Kant didn’t know that his whereabouts had already been targeted by these people.

nHe was still buying some things in the market at the pass with his team.

nFor example, logging axes and farm tools were urgently needed in the Oasis Lookout. He would just buy 50 pieces of tools that would be useful, whether it was for logging, farming, or gathering coarse salt.

nHowever, on the mountain paths on both sides of the Stone Pass, two groups of people were heading to the desert without leaving a trace.

nThey had to be prepared in advance.

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